me + my boys: Beautiful teacher gift idea from a member 🎁😍

EMBROIDERY

PUNCH NEEDLE

WEAVING

Hey, it's Julie here,

I hope you are having a great week so far! Here's what's happening this week at Clever Poppy.

In today's email:

On the Blog: Learn the Lazy Daisy
A beautiful teacher gift idea shared from a member
My first ever tattoo... revealed!
Cute DIY Christmas trees to make with the kids
A new romantic Netflix series to check out
Shop Highlight: Five Flowers
In my world: Clever Poppy Christmas party

On the Blog... Learn the Lazy Daisy technique

If you would love to create some beautiful floral pieces of embroidery (which are my fav!), then this is definitely a technique you will want to have under your belt as a beginner.

I love using the lazy daisy technique as a simple (and quick) way of creating a variety of petals, leaves and flowers.

If you'd like to learn this stitch, a great starting point would be checking out this blog article with an easy to follow tutorial.

You can then put your new skill to practice with our Five Flowers pattern you can find below in the shop listing. Happy stitching!

GO TO BLOG

What have our Makers been up to?

How beautiful are these teacher gifts, shared by our lovely member Catherine? What a thoughtful and special gift idea.

She said: "Thanks Julie for your amazing patterns.
These are the home made teachers gifts for my boy this year.
Lemon honey, Macrame pot hanger & Christmas decoration and one of your stunning patterns."

My tattoo reveal...

Yay I am sooo excited to finally share my first ever tattoo with you all. Check out the reel below to see it. It was designed and inked by the talented Minnie at Mira Studio NZ, and I am so so happy with it!

What's inspiring me on the creative front...

When I saw these cute little Egg Carton Christmas Trees by Kathryn from Cardboard Folk pop up on my insta feed, I just had to share it with you! How fun does is this project look to make with the kids this christmas?! And even better, you are recycling and reusing something you already have at home. Check out her reel here to check out how to make these!

Something new to watch...

If you are into love stories, and you're looking for a new series to watch over the holidays, then I can highly recommend 'From Scratch'. I'm not usually into romantic dramas (murder mysteries are my usual forte!) but I'd heard this was worth watching. And it really was – boy did it pull at my heart strings. Matt was wondering why I was sitting at my desk stitching a pattern and crying my eyes out. Ha! You will know what I am talking about when you watch it - just make sure you have lots of tissues on hand. Check it out below and let me know what you think.

Shop Highlight: Five Flowers

I have seen so many beautiful versions of this pattern stitched by many of our members over the years, and it has been so wonderful to see it help them become more confident in their techniques as a newbie to embroidery.

If you are looking for a new project to try over the holidays, why not add this to the list?

This pattern is a great way to practise some of the most versatile beginner stitches out there and is perfect if you are at the Excited Newbie stage of your journey.

Our pattern kit includes the printed pattern guide, a piece of cotton fabric, beautiful wooden display hoop and the threads to go with it. You can purchase this from our online shop below.

Five Flowers Pattern Kit

Grab your kit here!

Buy Now

Shop News...

Christmas shipping cut-off dates: Please note, to ensure your orders will arrive before Christmas Day, all NZ and International orders will need to be placed by Friday 16th December. All orders placed after this date will still be packed and shipped up until Friday 23rd December, but we can't guarantee they will arrive before Christmas.

Last minute Christmas gift ideas:

Needle Minders: These cute little accessories are a great stocking filler! Some designs have sold out, but we still have 5 cute designs available.
Beginner Bundles: If you know someone who needs some me-time, these are a great option as a last minute gift.

Embroidery Beginner's Bundle

Buy Now

Teacup Magnetic Needle Minder

Buy Now

Boho Sunset Magnetic Needle Minder

Buy Now

Spring Wheelbarrow Magnetic Needle Minder

Buy Now

Punch Needle Beginner's Bundle

Buy Now

Woven Wall Hangings Beginner's Bundle

Buy Now

In my world...

Matt and I celebrated our Clever Poppy Christmas party with - guess who…Matt and I! We had hoped to take our amazing team member Amy out to dinner, but the stars didn't align, so it was just the two of us. It was actually a really great chance to reflect over the past year (which we are super stoked about) and plan some key milestones for the coming year (which we are so pumped about!). To be honest, we chat about the business all the time haha, but it was fun to debrief in a lovely vibrant setting (Auckland restaurant Cassia which we highly recommend any locals try!).

I also felt a huge sense of relief at ticking off the last of our Christmas shopping on Monday. I've done most of it online, and it's been quite a considered and stress-free process. Having said that, I did head to a big mall on Sunday for some last bits and pieces…it felt manic and I'm glad I wasn't there for long! It reminded me of why I prefer to shop either online, or at our lovely local stores. But hey, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!

Here at Clever Poppy HQ, I'm still head down cranking out patterns in advance of the break. It's a bit frantic but it will be so worth it to get ahead.

And before I go, I want to say thanks to everyone who shopped our 12 days of Christmas Sale! We hope these goodies and digital products will bring lots of smiles and happy me-time over the holiday season.

Have a fantastic rest of your week, not long to go now til Christmas…